Marina Barrage in the late afternoon (iPhonegraphy)

Mid of October, during my visit to Singapore for meeting with clients for upcoming wedding assignment, we had a chance to visit to Marina Barrage for the first time.

Henry, my childhood friend traveled together and we then met up with our good friend, Koh Yiaw who works in Singapore. He was generous to bring us around in Singapore.

After meeting up with my clients, we told Koh Yiaw that we had not been to Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay, although we had been to Singapore for so many times.

The afternoon in Singapore was warm and windy, a fine day for outdoor activities. While waiting for the Big Trees of the Gardens by the Bay to light up in the evening, we drove to Marina Barrage which is next to the it within 5-10 minutes walking distance, to spend the afternoon before the sun set.

The Marina Barrage is a dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel, to help alleviating floods of same areas and supplying water. On top of that, the facility is further utilized by providing a rooftop park for recreational activities.

Koh Yiaw showed us around the dam and brought us to the rooftop park. There were people there hanging out with friends, picnic, kite-surfing, exercising, drone flying, and some even lying on the grass for sun-bathing.

Henry (left) and Koh Yiaw enjoying sunset at the rooftop park of Marina Barrage (iPhonegraphy)

Later afternoon, as sun was going to set, the crowd started to come in, with groups of tourists, prewedding shooting couples, landscape and cityscape photographers, evening yoga lovers and so on. It was the best time to have the view of sunset over Singapore city with Marina Bay Sands in silhouette.

We could see Big Trees of Gardens by the Bay, the gigantic artificial trees were lighted up after the sun set. We then left Marina Barrage and headed for the Big Trees before the sky turned completely dark.

Big Trees of Gardens by the Bay with Marina Bay Sands in scene (iPhonegraphy

The parking of Gardens by the Bay was full and cars were queuing for parking spaces. We did a quick stop to get close to the Big Trees near the ticketing counters, to experience how gigantic the lighted trees. Before the sky went dark, photographing the lighted trees with the colorful sky as backdrop can be interesting and spiced up the mood of the photographs.

Thank you Koh Yiaw again for spending half the day with us showing the two interesting places of Singapore, and also brought us for wonderful meals and coffee.

If you would love to visit the two places, just Google Map and search for Marina Barrage or Gardens by the Bay. The places are reachable with public transport including MRT.

They are next to each other and the admission is free for Marina Barrage and ticket is required on certain areas of Gardens by the Bay. Visit of the outdoor gardens and the Big Trees is however free.

The post Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay, places for outdoor activities in Singapore appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

属于我自己的街头漫步 － 瑞士雪山～少女峰

这天是我在欧洲旅游的第八天，也是身在瑞士中部的城镇因特拉肯（Interlaken）的第二天。

早啊，美丽的城镇。这儿的空气清新的不得了，没有喧哗的闹市，适度的温度，使我一夜好眠。早晨6.30的Morning Call与电话闹钟的优雅声在耳边响起，让我不得不离开那张依偎一夜的被窝。今天不是说好自由行吗？那为何那么早起身呢？因为在这2011年12月的第一天送自己一份最好的礼物。我呀，想要让自己在瑞士雪上有称欧洲屋脊的—少女峰留下自己的一步一脚印。套一句旅社留言本上的一句中文：“此生不到少女峰，枉做当年痴情女”。哈，真是这样吗？

早晨7.30待在酒店享用早餐。我在欧洲的这几天，第一次在酒店里享用到有炒饭的早餐，真是感恩啊。牛角面包，芝士，牛奶等不是不好吃，而是中餐突然显得可贵些。或许是因为这儿比较多的旅客是来自亚洲吧。

常言道：早起的鸟儿有虫吃，所以吃完早餐大约早上8.30我就乘坐巴士出发去乘搭欧洲最高铁路～齿轮火车登上少女峰了。瑞士旅游业大部分位于阿尔卑斯山区，所以从因特拉肯（Interlaken）的道路去劳特布龙嫩（Lauterbrunnen）是窄狭也弯曲的。因为巴士沿山而道，所以一路上，入眼的窗外风景都属绿中带黄的草地或是山脉。不过，当巴士渐渐地往劳特布龙嫩（Lauterbrunnen）前进时，看入眼的却是白茫茫的雪地，枯了了的树枝上都像染了点点的白色小球球，白色三角屋塔下的木屋很可爱，山峰都盖上了雪白色，非常漂亮。这样的景色让我觉得自己好像自身在童话故事里。叮叮叮，告诉我圣诞节快到了，快把袜子挂在门前，哈。

早晨，沿途从因特拉肯（Interlaken）去劳特布龙嫩（Lauterbrunnen）的窗外风景。

大约一个多小时的车程，我便抵达了劳特布龙嫩（Lauterbrunnen）火车站。我需要从这儿乘坐火车到克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）, 那样我才可以乘坐齿轮火车登上少女峰。（这才是目地）

基本上，无论你在瑞士的任何一个地方, 想登上少女峰就必须从因特拉肯（Interlaken）的东站起程，因为这里是黄金线的中转站。而且在因特拉肯（Interlaken）这儿有火车通往卢塞恩和瑞士首都波恩等城市，交通便利。在因特拉肯(Interlaken)东站出发的火车，有分为两种航线去抵达少女峰。那就是东线和西线。如果坐从西线起程的火车就会经过劳特布鲁嫩（ Lauterbrunnen ），这里以其峡谷和瀑布闻名。不过，如果做从东线起程的火车，就会经过格林德沃（ Grindelwald ），这儿就以其田园风光，雪山下的民居而闻名。前提是无论选哪条航线都必须换两次火车。这两边航线的火车都会到达克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）。不过所需的时间就得根据途中换乘的连贯情况而略有差别。最后去往少女峰的登山火车是同属一辆火车（齿轮火车）。因为这两条航线的风景各 花入各眼，为了不让自己留下埋怨的声音，所以我选择了从劳特布龙嫩（Lauterbrunnen）登上克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）再坐齿轮火车登上少女峰，回返的路途我就从克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）往格林德沃（ Grindelwald ）下山，再回到因特拉肯(Interlaken)。来回路线就这样定了。

前往乘搭火车到克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）入口处见到了可爱的温馨标志。

火车站有很详细的指示。

买了票根前往克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg），再来就是等待火车的到来。也许太早抵达火车站，我变成乘搭火车的第一班客户。随手在火车站拿了张少女峰的地图，随意的翻阅。得知少女峰位于瑞士旅游城市因特拉肯市正南方二三十公里处。它拥有海拔4158米、纬度46°32′12.5″N，经度 7°57′45.5″E。他是阿尔卑斯山，乃至欧洲的最高峰之一。在少女峰的断层中，其余有两峰为艾格峰（Eiger，3970米）及莫希峰（Mönch，4107米）。1811年，J. Meyer及 H. Meyer这两兄弟第一次登上了少女峰。

一张地图在手，难道就不会迷路吗？

瑞士是以邦（Canton）联合形成的国家，共有23邦（如没错的话）。各邦拥有主权国家的自主性。瑞士之所以能够坚持永久中立的秘诀就是“邦”的平衡。左边的国旗就是“伯恩邦”的国旗。

大约等了15分钟，火车终于来了。我就登上了小黄火车，往目的地出发去。火车缓缓向上行驶，山谷、积雪、小木屋，这些电脑桌面般的美景不停地谋杀着我的相机，相机卡匝卡匝的响起声音，我不知道按了多少次的快门。沿途绿色的树木，清新的空气都使我精神奕奕。

嘟嘟嘟嘟～火车带我前往乘搭齿轮火车。

沿途的风景美不胜收。这一栋栋的木屋拥有很多扇窗口。

像不像童话故事中描绘的那样？

不知不觉，火车来到了位于克莱纳谢德格（Kleine Scheidegg）的火车站，我已经迫不及待想要转坐乘搭齿轮火车登上少女峰。为何我会那么的兴奋？那是因为这次乘坐的火车和一般的有所不同，它被称作齿轨火车是因为两条铁轨中间是齿轨，齿轮和轨道的咬合给爬行的火车提供了与地面牢固的结合力，使得火车能以很大的坡度行驶。这条铁路是由瑞士铁路之父”之称的阿道夫.古耶－泽勒（ADOLF GUYER－ZELLER）倡议，于1896年至1912年兴建的，当年1912年8月1日竣工动通。

在克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）站这儿有几家售卖可爱精品的店铺及咖啡屋。也因为这儿也是转换站，所以人潮比较多。

要前往少女峰，就离不开乘坐齿轮火车，它可是瑞士旅游的卖点之一。世界上没有哪个国家可以随便把火车修在云端之上，可见的瑞士人对少女峰特别的器重。 齿轮火车百年不衰，瑞士已将齿轮火车的名气和少女峰、因特拉肯捆绑在一起了。

克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）的周边风景。

不久后，我便坐在红色的齿轮火车里，沿途欣赏到每个小镇不同的景致。从克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）到峰顶的这段路程，会有一个长达7.2公里的隧道。坡度却达到25%。现在由Kleine Scheidegg 到少女峰车站，上山需时约50分钟，下山则需要35分钟。这个隧道全部是由工人们用人工凿出来的！隧道非常的狭窄，刚好只容下火车的宽度，在 黑暗的隧道中，火车以时速35公里的速度蜿蜒前进，但是乘客却感受不出爬坡与蜿蜒的感觉（不过，我建议上山时请坐面部向上山的位置，下山时则坐在背靠下山的位置。那是因为会有出现不舒服的感觉，类似耳鸣或头晕）。齿轮火车还会有播放中文解说，而且是在第四顺序（在西班牙语和日语之前）。听见中文的解说，显得特别的亲切。

隧道中间设有两个观景台，火车会各停5分钟，分别是2865米高的爱格尔(Eigergletscher)与3160米高的冰海(Eismeer)，从这两个观景台都可以看见连绵的雪山与冰河流泻而下的景色。两个车站都会逗留五分钟。在短站的停车时刻，我触摸了隧道的裸岩石碧，体验与感受这段开辟工程的艰难事迹。同时，这儿里边有一片大片的玻璃景观窗，能够让我们看到艾格峰冰河的辽阔视野，令我惊叹的冰河海景观。

火车在艾格石壁（Eigerwand）停留。

少女峰内建有大型的建筑及复杂的隧道系统，除了车站外，还有酒店、餐厅、冰宫、气象观测站、研究站、电影院等。亦有隧道通往户外，供走到外面的冰原及冰河。

登顶后，首先入眼的是邮箱。我在少女峰了望台上给家人－爸爸寄了张明信片，还兴致勃勃地编着搞笑的祝福。除此，这还有旅游爱好者光顾的纪念品店，这里的价格并不比山下的贵。在这有一台机械，只要用上Swiss Coins 20, 就能压印成一枚印有少女峰标志的硬币。我当然没放过这机会。

在Top of Europe的邮局寄出一封明信片，这可是欧洲最高的邮筒！

就是这台机械能将硬币压印为少女峰的标志。

我的成果：硬币与名明信片

在山顶还有个餐厅，我的午餐就在这享用－观餐厅Crystal Restaurant。这儿的面包很好吃，外表看是不怎么样，不过口感是好吃的。这餐厅的食物口味都还不错，第二推荐就是这儿自己制作的雪糕。在这餐厅一边吃饭一边看外边的奇景，是别有一番滋味。

少女峰景观餐厅Crystal Restaurant。这家餐厅的雪糕与法式面包很好吃。

喂饱了肚子，争取时间，出发参观万年冰宫。在万年冰宫里面，我双脚可直打滑，走起路来也轻松了许多。这儿让我仿佛在溜冰场溜冰一样，不过冰宫里很冷，温度十分底。或许是因为怕游客的体温融化的冰雕，所以一直有冷气打进来。

参观万年冰宫完毕后，我们继续向前出发。沿途还见到了一些展示角落。报道了在2001年11月13号，世界遗产委员会在赫尔辛基会议上正式确认并宣布了少女峰阿雷奇冰川为联合国教科文组织的世界保护遗产之一。该地区是阿尔卑斯山 脉 中有史以来第一个取得该称号成为世界自然遗产的地区。少女峰被称为欧洲之颠，是著名的旅游圣地加滑雪圣地，还是中国黄山的姐妹山。（少女峰已经和中国的黄山联盟）

在2001年11月13号，世界遗产委员会在赫尔辛基会议上正式确认并宣布了少女峰阿雷奇冰川为联合国教科文组织的世界保护遗产之一。（少女峰已经和中国的黄山联盟）

遠眺歐洲最長的阿萊奇冰川（Great Aletsch Glacier）

告别展示厅，入眼的就是期待已久的少女峰顶端。根据简单的解说，少女峰主要山峰有三座，呈东西向排列。由东至西分别为老人峰、僧侣峰和少女峰，三峰的高度分别为3970米、4099米、4158米，渐次升高。围绕这三座峰名字的由来有许多美丽的传说，少女峰也因此成为许多艺术家创作的素材。“老人峰”出自德语，其意为“我在这里”（瑞士通用语言主要是德语和法语，而少女峰属于德语地区）。“僧侣峰”则出自奥地利的一种马的名字，“少女”的原意是修女。僧侣峰横在老人峰和少女峰之间，使他们无法接触，也因此产生了种种的解释和传说。

在瑞士，有一则古老的传说：传说天使来到凡间，在一座美丽的山谷里居住下来，并且还为它铺上了无尽的鲜花和森林，镶嵌了银光闪烁珠链，还为它许愿说：“从现在气，人们都会来亲近你、赞美你，并爱上你”，这座使天使都心醉的山说的也是瑞士少女峰。

天使的愿望已经实现。所以，少女峰(Jungfrau)现在已经成为了每一个来瑞士旅行的人几乎都不会错过的地方。

山下云海遮日, 山顶万里晴空, 雄奇雪山, 万年冰川, 看的眼睛生痛(日光太强烈了, 变色眼镜不够用, XDJM们下次去要准备好强力太阳眼镜)。

到达山顶的达斯芬克司观景台可以俯览边上的EGIER峰和MONCH峰，雪白雪白的山，蓝蓝的天空，远处却又是绿色的一片。壮丽的景色真的让我难以忘怀，去那边的亚洲人很多。 日本人和韩国人特多，还有中国的旅行团。

我们参观少女峰两处地带，低一点的地方插着瑞士国旗，代表着瑞士之殿。 最高处是欧洲国旗，代表着欧洲屋脊。

温馨的提醒，可别太靠近。

最高峰就显示在眼前，我难以置信？

很活泼的狗儿。

峰顶最著名的景点是斯芬克斯观景台(Sphinx Observatory)，它也是登顶旅程的终点，海拔3571米，可以观赏到阿尔卑斯山全景。游人可乘搭升降机直上海拔3571米的史芬克斯（Sphinx observation）观景大厅与平台，那是全歐洲最高的天文台，但氣象站是不對外開放。

1996年，瑞士人又在此大胆启用了欧洲最高的观景台及瑞士最快速的升降机(110米垂直高度，25秒钟抵达)。以便到最高的天文台上喂鸟，所谓的鸟，莫过于就是乌鸦，它们是那常见的动物。

「Top of Europe」的立牌，吸引許多人在此地拍照。

大约下午12点，我们告别少女峰。沿途的少女峰无论是上山或下山的风景都充满了活力和变幻。从山下到山顶，一山之内景观却截然不同。山顶白雪飘飞，雪雾弥空，一派冰雪世界的奇观。而山腰以下，却有着一眼望不到头的青草的翠绿，山花的明黄；和缓的山坡上牛群散布，牛铃声回荡山谷；山谷里村落安详恬淡，人们生活简单、质朴而闲适。难道这就是少女峰的魅力吗？

这一切风景正构成了阿尔卑斯山区独有的迷人氛围，让每一个来到这里的人都会留连忘返，如坠入天境。而我，就是其中一位被这风景吸引这的傻婆。也许是因为家乡还没看见这样两极的景色。

云越来越浓，突然远处一束阳光冲出重云，洒在一个不知名的村庄上。 当时有种神灵降临的感觉。

我深深体会，他的美。

依依不舍，克来雪德（Kleine Scheidegg）

据当地人说，少女峰其实更适合徒步。因为雪道面积小，对滑雪高手来说不够过瘾。而即使是冬天徒步，也有专门的雪鞋、雪杖，不会滑雪的人都能轻易学会。对雪上 项 目不感兴趣的话，就赶紧换趟车，晃晃悠悠上山顶吧。“欧洲之巅”是少女峰顶端的观光项目，费用已经含在火车票里了。

格林德沃（ Grindelwald ）的小屋，雪儿飘飘。

格林德沃的风景

美吗？看到它，让我心情大好。

http://www.jungfrau.ch 这就是票根

行程结束，告别于见到雪花。如果非要用一句形容瑞士少女峰，只能说那无处不是明信片。那四处如茵的草原、幽静的森林、宏伟的雪山、澄澈的湖泊、风景如画的村庄……

希望它的美能够被保护，四处的环境能被珍惜。瑞士，让我一见就爱上。

The post 2011 瑞士雪山～少女峰 appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

Pre-Christmas atmosphere in Kuala Lumpur

Christmas atmosphere is almost everywhere in KL’s busy shopping malls now. After the street photography in Pudu with friends, we walked to the shopping area to have our lunch and certainly to feel in the spirit of Christmas.

We made to Time Square first as Fred had an appointment with a customer. Then through Low Yat Plaza and Sungei Wang we went to the Lot 10’s food court. It’s named Hutong Lot 10 food court, is offering variety of non-halal food that took us quite some time to decide what to have. I heard that each of these eateries is specially hand-picked by the CEO of Lot 10, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh. After a yummy meal, we visited Fahrenheit 88, Starhill Gallery and finally arrived at Pavillion.

At this time of the year, most malls in KL are dressed up in beautiful Christmas decoration and create special and magical Christmas experiences for the shoppers. Christmas trees, rein deers, Santa Claus and Santarina, angels, EElves, vibrant and colorful lightings, special Christmas’s delicacy and anything to do with Christmas are seen everywhere. We had recharged our energy after lunch and started to get some shots of the lovely environment.

It had been a decade since I strolled in KL city like this. I always think KL as a busy, stressful and hectic city. This visit however gave me a different perception. It was crowded and busy as usual, yet calm, relaxing and filled with laughter and joy. Perhaps it was simply that the festival atmosphere had taken over. The crowd just having fun, spending sweet time with family or loved ones, and hang out with friends.

So we too had so much fun and glad that we made it to this trip, not to mention meeting up with Robin and Chun-Chow. Thanks to Fred and Kenn-Wai for inviting me, and we are looking forward for a next time in near future.

Here’s wishing you all the joys of the season, may your Christmas be filled with peace and love. Happy Christmas!

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morning reading at Pudu's street

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure to meet up with Robin Wong and Chun-Chow in Kuala Lumpur together with Fred and Kenn-Wai. It was drizzling early morning when we left Kelana Jaya where we stayed at the place of Kenn-Wai’s sister. However and it turned out to be clear and sunny sky when we arrived at Pudu LRT station. The weather was really unpredictable in KL.

Even though I always took bus from Pudu bus station back to Melaka when I studied in KL, I didn’t know the place well. Robin does so he became our guide that morning. He first brought us to have a delicious Hakka noodle breakfast. As soon as we were done, so called shutter therapy session by Robin had begun.

Robin got us in the alleys, to the dry and wet markets. We were amazed by how lively the area was, and it was full of locals and foreign workers. Though we hardly see tourist over there. Most of the people there were nice even though some might not seem to be. I guess that’s the reason why Robin loved the place so much for street photography. We just discovered the other face of KL. We got to learn from Robin how he approached the crowd and captured the people so close.

Robin and Chun-Chow are experienced street photographer and familiar with the place. They knew exactly when and where to press the shutter. It was just their instinct. Fred, Kenn-Wai and I also tried to get some nice shots of the street but we rather enjoyed our walk with jokes until we reached the wet market at about 11:00 am. We couldn’t stand the strong smell of the market place under the hot sun so we threaded our way through the market quickly.

The photography session was smooth and everyone had fun. we decided to go Bukit Bintang area to take some shots of the Christmas decoration and atmosphere. While making our way to Time Square, we stopped by Pudu Plaza to have a break and share our captures with each other. Everybody gained valuable experience and intuitive knowledge in street photography from others.

May all beings by happy. Share some shots of the Pudu area:

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On the last day of September, I spent a wonderful time to the Aquaria KLCC with my parents and aunt Peggy. It had been ages since I last went for a trip with parents so it made this trip so much fun and memorable.

In the morning, we traveled north from Melaka reached our destination, Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon. The Aquaria KLCC is in KLCC certainly. It is a decent size, seemed very clean and well run aquarium. It costs us (for Malaysian citizen) RM35 per adult and RM25 for senior citizen.

The entrance of the aquarium is at upper level and we were first greeted by the furious piranhas. There was a touch pool just next to the piranhas’ tank where we could touch and feel the crabs, starfish and gentle bamboo shark. We also observed creatures which defend themselves by discharging electricity such as the electric eel, catfish etc. followed by the stream mammals like giant water rat and otter. Then we came to the reptiles, amphibians and insects zone which we saw little crocs, big gecko, colorful yet poisonous frogs, beautiful butterflies’ specimens, venomous spiders etc.

We then walked down the steps to the lower level of the aquarium and first saw a big tube tank ensconces an ancient tree and fishes. This was the section of the fresh water fishes including giant catfishes and huge Arapaimas which live in the nutrient-rich waters of Amazon.

Our tour continued to the 90 meter transparent underwater tunnel. While enjoying the tranquil atmosphere beneath the depths of open water, we walked along the tunnel ‘together’ with Sand Tiger Sharks, eels, giant stingrays, green turtles, and various kinds of schooling fish. We too arrived just in time for the feeding frenzy where scuba divers were in the tank feeding and interacting with the fishes. The show was simply amazing.

Before we exited the aquarium we had the chance to observe the cute little seahorses, mysterious jellyfishes, and beautiful yet sadly endangered corals. More and more coral reefs over the world have been hit by coral bleaching resulting from global warming, when corals lose their color. Soon or later, we will not be able to see beautiful underwater scenery. So it’s our duty to love and care for the environment for a better tomorrow.

Well, the Aquaria KLCC is definitely a worth going place to go in KL especially with family. Before we headed back to Melaka at night, we went to the Look Out Point or also known as Little Genting in Ampang Hill for a dinner with Ah Too and Chin-Sing. The food of the restaurant we picked was OK as in acceptable, however the night scenery of KL was just stunning!

Thanks to my parents, aunt, Ah Too and Chin-Sing for making this trip so unforgetable. I had a really good time and am looking forward for another trip in the near future.

May all beings be happy. Sharing some shots I captured of the trip:

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sunset of Mekong River

I will continue and complete my Cambodia’s story, with this beautiful Mekong River cruise, by skipping the story to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields.

The second evening when we were in Phnom Penh after shopping at Russian Market, we experienced the rich life and the magnificent sunset of Mekong River. We arrived at the central riverfront area of Phnom Penh and took some photos at the Royal Palace. Then we continued to the jetty nearby and boarded our boat. It was an old fashioned double decker boat and of course we went for the upper deck for better view.

Chams

We begin to feel the cool breeze of the river and relaxing everything around us. The boat cruised along the central riverfront area and provided picturesque views of the riverfront area including Royal Palace, Wats, significant landmarks, and also Phnom Penh skyline.

Then, the river cruise experience became rural when the boat crossed to the other side of the bank. Here, we met the Cham and visited Cham tribal village.

The Cham are a minority Muslim tribe in Cambodia and they speak Malay language. Most of them are fishermen and they spent their entire life on the boats. Everything just happens on the small boats as we saw on our tour, kids jumping into the river for bath, women cooking on boats, and men out for fishing.

They are living very poor life as they hardly have access to information, good education and training like we get back home. We gave them some goods and monetary donation and continued our tour further down the river, with dramatic river scenery, fishing villages and extensive fishing activities.

Soon the sun started to fall below the horizon, it turned fiery yet romantic. The evening sun illuminated from the rear of Royal Palace and gave us striking silhouette images. Everyone on board kept taking shots before the sun disappeared behind the clouds. 

Cham little girl

The cruise took exactly 1 hour and we returned to the jetty near the central riverfront area for dinner. We enjoyed the cruise and discovered the beauty of Mekong River, the true Mother River of Southeast Asia.

On the next day, we left Phnom Penh and flew back to Malaysia. We loved the place and enjoyed so much on this trip even though it was only a short trip. It’s one of the best places for travelling, finding culture, nature and mystical wonders.

Special thanks to Kenn-Wai for lending his 17-50mm Tamron lens. May all beings be happy. Sharing more shots of the mystical river and the Cham tribe. This set of photos will be the last series of photos from my old camera.

royal gate

Khmer kids

Royal Palace of Cambodia

lotus seeds (edible)

our pilot of tour

walking to the river cruise

opaque brown water of Mekong River contrasts with the green hue of river bank

central riverfront area of Phnom Penh, view from the Mekong River's cruise

Cham fishing boat on Mekong River

tribe on Mekong River, boats are their homes

naked Cham boy just love the river

Cham lady living on boat

Cham children

"candy?"

asking for

Cham

kayaking on Mekong River

sunset of Mekong River

fishermen's life

Khmer ladies

tuk-tuk

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the joy of Phnom Phen's Russian Market

The first morning in Phnom Penh, we went to Russian Market, the place where the Russians would hang out during the Vietnam war. The market has been known by its English name since 1980s, and is popular shopping heaven in Phnom Phen among tourists, local expatriates and Cambodians alike.

Russian Market is really big and is the place we could find all manner of hardware goods, antique furniture, traditional carvings and handicraft, hand-woven silk, music, movie and computer CDs, silverware, gems, books and maps, backpacks and bags and shoes and clothing, drinks and cooked food. You name it, you get it.

for Japan earthquake relief

Here, some basic bargaining and haggling skills will be needed as nobody pays the first price. Of course it was not difficult for us as we practice it most of the time in Malaysia.

A wide range of real and fake items sold in the market. Some authentic branded shoes and clothing, though not all, can be found at very inexpensive price, as they are manufactured in Cambodia somehow rejected due to quality control issues.

Most of our friends purchased souvenirs here, and some had their shirt, pant or dress tailor-made here at very reasonable price and thumbs up quality. They purchased the fabric there, handed to the tailors and had their clothing picked up on the following day.

The place was flooded with tourists and locals. Please be warned of the market’s heat and narrow passageways in search for shopping buys. So those who are claustrophobic might find it difficult to survive the market. The conditions add to the ambiance of an Asian market however.

I chose to take photos rather to shop. Few minutes of walk I got so sweaty even wearing a thin t-shirt. However I loved weaving my way around the market with my camera and finding lots of interesting people and things to shoot.

Few hours of walk, I did not finish even half of the market. We had to leave to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum as schedule and many were still demanding for more time extension. Therefore the guide took us there again on the following day for last minute shopping, just before we headed to Phnom Penh International Airport.

Russian Market is simply crowded, cheap and a lot of fun!

May all beings be happy. Sharing some photos I captured back there after the click:

wooden vase carving

Buddhas on rack

jewelry lady

polishing stone

flooded with bikes

mustache? (smoking kills)

cloths on sale

fabrics

Khmer snacks

street chef

durian and other local fruits

in the market

"some paintings, mate?"

wilful

vegetables

"oh, crabs"

fishwife

"sale's pretty good today"

bells

Deity

puppet

Khmer kids in the market

morning market

lady butcher

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bus journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

After we left Angkor temples, we took a 7-hour bus to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I was leaning on the seat, looking at the scenes from the bus windows that I had never seen in real life. The extremely poor villages and living. The journey was eye-opening.

We traveled on a gravel road by bus. There were shacks built on wooden stilts off the ground beside the road we traveled, for clearing the floods of the next monsoon. These shacks mostly built facing the road, with the backyards used for agriculture.

We took a look daily life of the villagers on our way: most of the villagers farm the land or fish to obtain their food, and they live with minimal or without electricity, safe drinking water or any other support. So the place was totally dark at night, with only lights of vehicles on the road visible. What amazed us was the sardine like quality of transportation, vehicles such as motorbike, car or truck was overloaded with passengers or goods.

On the half of our journey, about 4-5pm in the afternoon, we stopped at a village for some fresh air. I don’t even know the name of the place, yet without wasting the few minutes I’d got, I quickly took some shots of the people living there. They seemed to us like strangers.

Most of us would never experience life like the Khmer villagers. Such living conditions gave us the impression of a poor and an unhappy life, many of the villagers however seemed contented and happy with their life: kids running wildly, women relaxing in hammocks, men having drinks and chit chat together. This situation reminded me of an old Chinese story:

When Chuang-Tzu (an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE) was talking with a friend about some fish in a pond.

He said, “Look at those minnows darting here and there. How free and pleasurable is the life of a fish.“

His friend pointed out to him, “You are not a fish – how do you know that their life is free and pleasurable?” – in other words, you aren’t a fish, and you are making an assumption about what kind of life a fish leads.

Chuang-Tzu retorted, “You’re not me. How do you know that I don’t know what makes a fish happy?” – in other words, you are also making an assumption about what I know or don’t know.

Our mind creates our world, thus contentment is the key to happiness. We have to consider ourselves always to be very fortunate to have what we have now in our life and learn to appreciate them.

The 7-hour journey in fact broadened our mind. We then continued to Phnom Penh.

May all beings be happy. Sharing some shots I took when we stopped for a short break:

road signs

villagers

Khmer father and child

food stall

my friend, Zam (left) and a Khmer boy

on hammock

lollipop, melt in mouth

my friend, Amy (left) and the villagers

adorable Khmer kid

sharing the candy

smile?

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black and white Angkor Wat

After Ta Prohm Temple, we headed to the symbol of Cambodia, Angkor Wat. The daily pass we purchased before granted us the access Angkor Wat, checked by security certainly. Most people will have heard of the famous Angkor Wat, in fact it is only one of the many buildings of an ancient civilization.

Some background of Angkor Wat,

Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world’s largest religious building.

The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers.

Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means “City Temple”; Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara meaning capital or city. Wat is the Khmer word for temple. Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of its founder, Suryavarman II.

innocent kid at the entrance of Angkor Wat

Back to our journey.

Everyone was excited at the entrance of Angkor Wat when we saw Angkor Wat through the windows of the bus. As soon as the bus stopped, we jumped off the bus and rushed to the entrance. Many children approached us and trying to sell us some stuff such as souvenirs, food, books etc.

It was noon and Angkor Wat was so crowded with foreigners and even locals. We would have tens of people blocking the view everywhere we tried take photos. Nevertheless, it was alright for me because I wished to snap photos of unique and interesting people.

From the entrance, there is a long causeway connects to the gate of the temple. I took a long walk over the huge water reservoir and moat surrounding Angkor Wat and reached the gate.

There were a few couples wearing traditional Khmer wedding costumes and had their wedding photos taken with the magnificent background. This is probably a good place for couples to have their wedding albums beautifully done.

There I started to take shots of the interesting people, including wedding couples, and an old man who seemed like a fortune teller, and monks who were not as many as I expected. Then I set my way towards the temple it had take a long walk again from the gate to the main temple. On my way before reaching the doorstep of the main temple, I met many adorable children and again I had their photos captured.

Standing in front of the main temple, whole place just looked amazing. However the weather on the day was not that good. It was windy and some drizzling. The best time to go to Angkor Wat would be dawn when the sun is rising from the back of the temple, and when the weather is fine and calm. In that case, we would probably get a perfect silhouette of Angkor Wat stands against the orangish sky while its reflection is mirrored in similarly beautiful orangish water. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.

As I continued walking towards the central complex, I found many statues and many of those were headless, due to pillaging and looting. Making my way through the passageway and steps to the central complex, I snapped photos of many wall-carving which are similar to those in Ta Prohm Temple, such as the devatas (minor female deities). Surprisingly many of the bas-reliefs had well stood through the test of time and remained beautiful, despite centuries of wear and tear and invasions from tourists and looters.

bas-reliefs everywhere

After minutes of walk, I found my myself to be at the central complex, where I could see the lotus-like-towers. The steps to the top of the towers are small steps, less than half of my foot, and steep, the height of each step is longer than its tread. I decided to climb up the tower to have a better view of the whole compound, but time was running out. We were given only 45 minutes to tour Angkor Wat which I only had couples of minutes left when I reach the the central complex. I knew it would take some times to walk out the temple and I had leave then.

I took a few last shots of the locals praying there and quickly made my way to the bus. Forty-five minutes would never be enough for Angkor Wat. Not to mention people who want to know every piece of its stories and take wonderful photos. It would be worthy to spend at least 3 days in Siem Reap and visit temples of Angkor numerous times and different times of the day.

locals praying for blessing

Our exploration to Siem Reap was such a short time, half a day to visit the town, Ta Prohm Temple and Angkor Wat. However, we were glad we made it and hope to see the place again. I believe there will be surprises each time we go back.

So there we were, and continued the trip to the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh in a long bus journey. Goodbye, Siem Reap!

Sharing more shots after the click. May all beings be happy.

causeway to the gate of the temple

many couples have their wedding album done at Angkor Wat

bridesmaids

friendly oldman

portrait taken in the temple

dancing ladies carved in relief on the walls of the temple

monk

Khmer children sitting at the window of the library building of Angkor Wat

cleansing

"hi there"

"welcome to Angkor Wat"

long walkway in the temple

friendship of Khmer

some old statues

prayers

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trees growing on Ta Prohm Temple

First thing we did after arriving in Siem Reap and had our breakfast in town was to go to Ta Prohm Temple, which known for the trees growing on it, and that Tomb Raider by Angelina Jolie was filmed at. We have to thank Miss Chong from our trip who made the arrangement to Ta Prohm Temple and Angkor Wat, which initially were not included in the tour. We are glad that we were able to make out there, as a trip to Cambodia without Angkor Wat would be disappointing.

visitors making their way through the jungle the the temple

It took about 30 minutes bus ride from town to Angkor. Before we entered the area, we stopped at the ticket booth. Each of us had to have our individual photo taken and printed on the pass. This procedure is to avoid people from sharing or transferring their passes.

The passes we purchased got us access to all of the Angkor temples and they were not exactly cheap, however they were worth it. After gotten our passes, we proceeded to first destination, Ta Prohm Temple.

A brief history of Ta Prohm Temple from the web,

Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.

Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors.

The temple of Ta Prohm was used as a location in the film Tomb Raider. Although the film took visual liberties with other Angkorian temples, its scenes of Ta Prohm were quite faithful to the temple’s actual appearance, and made use of its eerie qualities.

Ta Prohm is the only temple that has not been restored, but left just as it was found. The courtyards, walls and roofs of Ta Prohm have been repaired to prevent further deterioration and the inner area has been unclogged of dense bush and jungle vegetation.

serene Buddha statue

Our guide told us that we had only 45 minutes to visit Ta Prohm Temple because we had to visit Angkor Wat then Phnom Penh. We knew it was insufficient to explore the whole temple in that time frame, therefore we had to take a cook’s tour.

Bus stopped in front of Ta Prohm Temple with Buddha face tower as the gate entrance. That morning, the place was crowded with visitors.

When walking from the gate to the temple, we went into the jungle through a slippery muddy walkway after a rain. We saw some landmine victims’ music instruments performance and raised landmine awareness on our way. We took a few shots and quickly headed to the temple not far from the front.

Arrived at the front the temple, we were like wow, we were finally here at the Tomb Raider Temple, old and magical temple! The outlook of the whole temple was magnificent and we were wondering how people could build such a place centuries ago.

We entered the temple separately and each of us made our own exploration of the place.

As I walked inside, I saw more temple ruins and wall-carving, featuring stone reliefs of devatas (minor female deities), meditating monks or ascetics, and dvarapalas or temple guardians. However, parts of the structure had collapsed and some part of the ruins were close for repair work.

The temple is famous of overrun by very large and old trees. I saw tree roots that engulf the structures were very interesting to behold.

Soon as I was taking shots of the large tree, I noticed that visitors around were unfamiliar faces. I knew time was up and most friends had hopped back into the bus.

I made my way out of the temple unreluctantly and just before I left the temple, I met an old Khmer lady sitting in the ruins offering blessing and incense for burning. First thought came into my mind was to take her portrait shot. Having her consent, I took the first portrait of a Cambodian, which turned out to be one of my collection of Cambodian faces. I started to seek for unique faces from this trip.

old lady at Ta Prohm

I was the last to get into the bus yet was in time. We then departed to Angkor Wat.

45 minutes was just too short to tour Ta Prohm especially for people who want to explore and snap photos. Knowing that early morning is the best time to visit Ta Prohm: less visitors and dawn mystical atmosphere will intensify the experience, I just know that I have to be there again!

May all beings be happy. Sharing some shots which I took after the jump:

a tuk-tuk spotted

the temple under repair

gate entrance - Buddha faces tower

a cicada caught and released

traditional music band's victim of land mine at the side of pathway

one of the victim also performers without legs

reaching Ta Prohm temple

Khmer little girl

main door of the temple

my friends of the trip: Iqbal (left) and Zam

wall-carving

stone wall under repair

for blessing and burning of incense

slippery after rain, a gentleman at the temple

little girl at Ta Prohm

back to the front

marketing team outside the temple

The post Let’s go Cambodia – Ta Prohm Temple appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

faces of Cambodia

Sua s‘dei! (hello in Khmer) Early of April, I was on a 3-day and 2-night tour in Cambodia with friends. I knew three days would be too short to explore the tranquil beauty of the land of most magnificent temples in the world. So I’d decided to take as many photos as possible. The trip had turned to a training ground for photography.

Most friends on this trip including I had not been to Cambodia, so we knew next to nothing of the country. On our arrival in Siem Reap, we were so excited and anticipated of what was to come. As for my first impression when we arrived, Cambodia would be similar to Thailand of its architecture, culture and art, until I studied the distinctiveness of the country and people on the three days exploration.

Well, I have to spare more time to do the photos and writings these days. Let’s have a quick through of our packed itinerary:

Day 1

• arrived Siem Reap
• visited Ta Prohm Temple
• visited Angkor Wat
• took bus to Phnom Penh

Day 2

• visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• shopped at Russian Market
• visited Killing Fields
• Mekong River cruise

Day 3

• shopped at Russian Market
• shopped Central Market
• goodbye Cambodia

May all beings be happy. Sharing some shots of the arrival in Siem Reap.

took AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap

"Pray for Japan from Cambodia"

welcome! immigration clearance..

legal liquor advertising

barefooted Khmer kid

Khmer breakfast

bike

Khmer wording, probably saying smoking kills

The post Let’s go Cambodia – arrival in Siem Reap appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

the happy couples, Kok-Liang and Tracy at the Chong Long Temple

Segenting is a beautiful fishing village not far from Batu Pahat. Here, the residents built their homes at the edge of the sea which supported by stilts to brave the high tides. There are a lot of temples in this fishing village. As most of the residents are fishermen, they pray to the Deities for a good harvest. One of the well-known temples would be the fish-touching Chong Long Temple which I came in April with friends. After sharing the trip of fish touching, my friend, Tracy was so interested to go for fish touching and requested to visit Segenting village for the first time. So we’d decided to go again.

Cinda at the Lover Bridge, waiting for inspiration for photography

It was a Saturday early morning last August. Tracy and partner, Kok-Liang together with Cinda, Wee-Peng and I traveled to Segenting village. When we arrived the weather was cloudy and after paying respect to the Deities at the Chong Long Temple, we went for fish-touching. This time I managed to capture the shots of the huge Arapaima fishes on the upper level of the temple. These two fishes were larger in size (exceed 2 meters) and their bright red patterning were distinctive than the rest found on the ground level’s pond. There were many visitors there trying to touch these fishes in the belief that it could bring good luck.

Short after we toured around the temple, we headed to the Lover Bridge (情人桥), which is actually a jetty. It is not far and could be seen from the temple. I missed the chance to visit to this bridge due to the rain and ever since my last visit, I was always wanted to visit the bridge. I knew I would be back. Eventually we were standing on this long jetty, built of rows of plank supported by stilts. The scenery was beautiful and the feel was good with the breeze.

The lover bridge used to be a docking and undocking platform for the fishermen however it is now romantic spot for dating couples. Many couples date here and that is probably how it got its name. Some locals believe that after a guy and a girl take a walk on the bridge, they would fall in love and become couples. Another adverse version which I heard would be its curse: if couples walk through the bridge, they will soon break up. Whichever is true, it is still a nice spot to enjoy a pleasant walk and sight for beautiful sunset.

the Lover Bridge of Segenting, sighted from the Chong Long Temple

It was a pleasing out of town trip together with good friends. Thanks to Tracy, Kok-Liang, Cinda and Wee-Peng for taking me to this great place and being my company. I hope we have the chance to go again and stay longer to tour around the village next time for photo-shooting.

May all beings be happy. More shots of fish-touching and the Lover Bridge after the jump:

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Two weeks ago when I met Perry again, he shared some underwater photos he took during scuba diving. Those shots are really fascinating. So I made a request to post his photos sharing with other friends and he agreed. More to that, he also shared with me this tale of the two sites (Bunaken and Lembeh) in northern Sulawesi of Indonesia which he experienced. This is the story of a wonderful marine park, some interesting people and a remarkable adventure:

Surface Interval: 3rd Row: See Hian and Greg 2nd Row: Tee, Lee, Helen, Siong, Teng, Perry, Jack. 1st Row: Lily, Ginn and Loy

North Sulawesi has long been hailed as one of the finest dive destinations our world has to offer. Being a rookie I had come to this place with a brimful of dreamy images conjured up from the centerfolds of diving magazines. Wanting nothing more than to bookmark the flora and fauna; and to put ticks next to images in fish ID books, I ended up getting much more than what I had hoped for. I returned with a very different outlook on the reefs and the sea and now consider myself a convert as well as a macro aficionado.

Spinecheek Anemone fish

Bunaken and Lembeh, are definitely more than meet the eyes. These are places where the incredible and unusal come together. It is perhaps premature and presumptuous for a newbie to crown this place with such superlatives, not having been to that many dive destinations around the world. I, however, found it simply impossible not to be in awe of the grace and diversity of the sea. What I saw and experienced had enriched me as a diver, as well as made me a human being much more appreciative of the world he lives in. Here is an account of my “fun-tabulous” and “muck-elicious” trip…

Back in May 2008 when I confirmed going on this trip, I had only logged about 50 dives. While in Redang, Tee took me to Sandy Bottom to do my first muck dive. That particular dive yielded many surprises. Apart from the sighting of a pretty sea horse, there was also a tiny painted frog fish, apparently a first in Redang. I was also made acutely aware that buoyancy skill was the determining factor to a good muck dive. A good “honing” session with Tee during that trip proved invaluable.

I later found out that I was actually going with a bunch of “old salts” with an average of 300 dives under their belts. Although a little concerned about how I would measure up, this bunch of “EAD”s proved my worries unfounded and were in fact lots of fun to be with. (EAD: an acronym only known to this particular group, should hopefully be explained to me on my next trip to Anilao.)

Coral life of North Sulawesi

Bunaken beakoned….

Dining area

Reception area

So I packed my bag, jumped on the Silk Air’s 737 with my dive buddies and arrived at the hustle bustle town of Manado. The town immediately reminded me of “Kampung Jawa”: an old (and vanished) fishing town in Melaka which constantly smelled of fish and salt. The busy roads were lined with shops and surprisingly
many chapels. Minibuses and horse drawn carriages shared these congested and narrow streets. A forty minute boat ride at the end of our road journey took us to Bastianos, a Balinese inspired and cozy resort. Although there were no airconditioners in our rooms, the breeze and cool mornings made it bearable.

The food was delicious and the very tasty Spaghetti Bolognese and Ayam Percik were simply unforgettable. The staff were friendly and in particular Richard. We were also very well looked after by the attentive dive crew. The night sky was amazingly clear and starry and the orange sunset had me gazing until it all but disappeared behind Mount Manado Tua. The real surprise at Bunaken however, lies beneath the sea. The underwater flora of Bunaken especially, was not only luxuriant, but strange and awe inspiring. We did 5 dives on our 3 day and 2 night’s stay, which was regrettably too few. Returning to Bunaken thus requires no excuse, since we had only sampled a very small part of the entire terrain.

The highlights were many and here are the ones that stood out:

Bunaken Timur One: Our boat traveled to the south-east of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, took a U-turn and moved up north, finally stopping at a site less than 300 meters away from the shore. I confirmed this as the destination of our check out dive and looked overboard to find our boat floating at the edge of the slopping sand. On the left was a large expanse of sea grass and the shallow sand bank, to the right was a deep blue hue. I took a deep breath and back rolled……

Gigantic Elephant Ear Sponge

When the bubbles cleared and I was done with equalizing and making sure my camera and gears were Ok, I found myself hovering next to a wall of lush orange and yellow soft corals and was greeted by clouds of Pyramid Butterfly Fish and Blue Streak Fusiliers. The visibility was excellent but I could not see the bottom as the wall was almost vertical. Swimming along the precipitous wall I marveled at how healthy the reef was. There was an abundant of sponges. Barrel sponges, rope sponges, elephant ear (fan) sponges and tube sponges intermingled with myriads of sea squirts of different shades and shapes: the blues, the pinks, the yellows, the “cauliflowers” and the black “grenades”….

Paper Fan Sponge (??)

Hard and soft corals, sprinkles of feather stars adorned all space unoccupied in this vast and resplendent garden. Surgeonfish, Moorish Idols, Damselfish, Pennant Bannerfish and a bunch of unidentified Anthias darted in and out of the cracks and fissures. Venturing closer, I spied my first Long Nose Hawfish peering out of the Gorgonian branches along with 2 dozen of Razorfish. We also saw a Reef Stonefish, a pea sized Elegant Squat Lobster, a Trumpetfish, a few Blue Spotted Lionfish and some nudibranch (Chromodoris Willani). The strangest formation was a 3 feet “paper fan” sponge (??) with tassels growing at the rim fanning up and down with the currents. I completed this memorable first wall dive in 57 minutes and concluded that had there not been a single fish, I would have been content just drifting along with the vista of “mega flora”. Such was the awe and wonder felt by the wide-eyed rookie in me……..

Next was Muka Kampung, another wall dive. One memorable moment was an improvised birthday celebration at 3 meter upon descending. You see, buddy Teng was THE GAL. Led by Siong, her major sweetheart, we had earlier prepared an impromptu banner (well.. more like a dive sausage with cut up duct-tapes pasted on it to form greeting words) as a surprise for her. We unrolled the ceremonious sausage, gestured frantically to catch her attention and “expressed” our love and greetings. Along with some of Lee’s rather creative underwater hand signals, this little presentation was hastily captured on video and stills. I am certain we were all praying for a high quality close up of the mandatory no-regulator kiss which was wet in every sense of the word, but it did not happen.

(Dive) time was of the essence so it quickly resumed. Currents were swift and much “schooling actions” took place in this dive; One large school of Long Jawed Mackerels followed by various sightings of big fish like a giant Grouper and a Napoleon Wrasse, capped off with a shoal of Snappers towards the end. Hiding within the wall was a very cute Orang Utan Crab inside a Bubble Coral. We could not resist the temptation to toy with a blue Painted Rock Lobster which bravely brandished its antennae in furious protest. Glinting and glistering on the surfaces of some odd shaped sponges were the even odder looking Sailor Eyeballs, which looked more like steel balls than living algea to me. The focus on a ball of Striped Catfish undulated back and forth above a sponge quickly transferred to a very pretty Nembrotha Cristata (the black Nudi with Green spots) and the translucent Coral Shrimp among the coral bubbles…….. whoever said a sore neck is only an occupational health hazard probably never dived.

Long jawed Mackerels

Nembrotha Cristata

Sailor Eyeball

Orang Utan Crab

Enter Lekuan 3, the Tinsel Town of Bunaken. Only five minutes in the boat took us to a spot so vast and borderless that it had to be sliced into 3 subsites, namely Lekuan 1, 2 and 3. Prominent features included the “Divalets” the miniature Squat Lobster, the Slender Pipefish, the Gomphia Starfish (??), the Chromodoris Wiallni and Lochi (Nudies) and the Orang Utan Crab. The “A list Divas” that our lenses spied on include a Gilded Triggerfish, a Horned Flathead (crocodile fish), a large Green Turtle, some Lowfin Drummers and a Wedgedtail Triggerfish, not forgetting the “Prima Donna Divas”: our very own Lily, Helen, Ginn, Teng and Lee. There were numerous supporting roles like the Fairy Basslets, Anthias, Sweepers, Batfishs and occasional Butterflyfish including the Emporers and Regals.

At one point all eyes were on the Candy Crabs among the red and white soft corals. See Hian spotted the first, Ginn the second and Tee the third strutting their stuff on the catwalk (of the coral branches) as they put on sprigs of live soft coral atop their shells for the show. Blizzards of flash lights caused these petite beauties to dodge and disappear, but with a bit of patience they reemerged to reclaim their fifteen minutes of fame. Decorating the entire site once again were beautiful fields of carols, sponges, hydroids, ascidians and yellow Whip Corals which spiraled their ways out to the open sea.

Gilded Triggerfish

Translucent Coral Shrimp

Candy (Decorator) Crab

Fu Kui is named after its discoverer and also means “Prosperity” in Chinese. This too was a richly endowed reef and for a change we could see the sloping sea floor which was covered by a plethora of stony and hard corals. Although this essentially was not a wall dive we constantly swam along the edge of the reef which was overlooking a deep slope that extended to the open sea. Here we sighted a massive belt of Blue Streak Fusiliers, and beyond them in the deep blue, a lone Napoleon Wrasse.

Emporors

Napoleon Wrasse

Apart from the elusive Napoleon, we were lucky enough to witness a school of Bigeye Barracudas, an even bigger school of Emperors, a ball of Batfish and some very inquisitive and tailgating Pinnate Spadefish. All of these amazing scenes were captured on HD videos as Greg got creative and sat his newly bought video cam in a modified case, and boldly tested the gizmo here. Just how interesting are the resulting clips? Find out in Youtube soon.

We took a detour at the Clam farm, a sandy patch that featured five giant Tridacna Clams in a row where Jack nearly stepped onto one of the clam’s mantle. The sea was calm and visibility was great, so we took pictures, poked fun and simulated obscene signs and gestures. From spot to spot we found many good lookers; the Spinecheek Nemos, the Nembrotha Kubaryana (Nudi with green and red streaks instead of dots) and possibly their offspring (the ribbon eggs), and the Bignose Unicorn Fish. Another magic moment came at twenty two meter, kneeling on a sandy patch we saw hundreds of spaghetti-like spotted garden eels swaying in the gentle currents. Some of them measured up to 3 feet with part of their bodies still burrowed in the sand. As they were very shy, the slightest movement in the water column had them darting back to their hiding place only to reappear to feed on plankton when the coast was deemed clear. Hundreds of artificial steel structures were laid haphazardly where we ended our dive. Perhaps these structures were recently laid therefore not much coral growth was observed. The optimistic diver in me however, predicts a fish and coral wonderland in ten years or so.

Spotted Garden Eels

Spade/Batfish

Last but not least was Along Banua, another wall site five minutes away from the resort. It was here I saw the strange red and gourd-like Ascidians and the colonies of Mat Sea Squirts, proved that there was something new even though the flora looked similar to the other earlier sites. Every species of hard and soft coral that I had seen in my diving experience collided here. The gorgonians, the black coral trees, the staghorns, the porites, the lettuce, the moon and star column corals, the cup corals, the leather, and the tree corals…….

After descending to yet another steep cliff, we were met with swim-throughs, caves and overhangs. The many protrusions here might have entangled the unwary Loy as he somehow managed to lose one of his FINs mid dive! Delaying the chance to ridicule an otherwise hilarious non-stunt, I marveled instead at the
Trumpetfish (white bodied with green stripes), the marvelous Helgerda Malesso (Cream and Orange coloured nudibranch with pretty ribbons for eggs), an electric Blue Spider Crab, the Devil Scorpionfish and many other usual suspects. Alas this dive ended with a huge upswell that was impossible to swim
against. So I cut short my safety stop and resurfaced predictably to listen to stories of yet more creatures that I had missed.

Chromodoris Nudie

The "Gourd" Ascidian

Bright Orange Sponge

"Matted" Sea Squirt

Sitting in the dining hall with eleven others that night, I took a gulp of Bintang and gazed at the distant sky reliving the underwater scenes I had experienced so far.

This was truly a Tour de Marvel thus far. My eyes and senses were constantly feasted on with so many new treats and wonders. My mind was perpetually occupied with the images and flashbacks from the visits to the realm of this “Fantasea”. There were too numerous the occasions to remember, and too much the mysteries of the undersea to learn about, always resulting in the tendency to fill my log book to the edges.

"Granade" Tunicates

Helgerda Nudie

Horned Flathead (Crocodilefish)

It is clear that Bunaken’s beauty rests on the reefs and the walls. Although to some seasoned divers this place offers limited novel sightings, they would no doubt still concur that its flora and fauna is astonishingly vast and healthy. Far above that exists in many parts of the underwater world. I had no regrets here, only the urge to moan about the Eager Ray, Giant Barracudas and Bumphead Parrotfish that I allegedly missed out on…..

Parting Shot: See what divings in Bunaken had done to us!

Text: Perry Gan
Additional text: Ginn Chin
Photos: Helen Kang, Greg Leong, See Hian, Chin Teng and Perry Gan

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踏上武来岸山的感觉超棒 (连鞋子也断了^^)

武来岸山（Broga Hill）也称茅草山，因为山顶上尽是茅草和一块块的大石头。 

那天相约了Kok-Liang, Tracy, Meng-Hong, Lawrence, Hock-Hwee, Yi-Xian 和我到武来岸山一趟。听姐姐说那里的天空很漂亮、日出很美、空气特别清新，所以决定好要去。还是第一次天还没亮，就起床准备爬武来岸山。大家都兴致勃勃的，我想大家都很期待这一次爬山的旅程吧！ 

从蕉赖加影大道出发。之后再取加影SILK大道直接通往士毛月（Semenyih）。到了士毛月后，跟着武来岸路牌指示，只要顺着路牌指示，其实并不难找到武来岸。武来岸山入口处是一片油棕园，其对面是一间白兔园。 

我们在40分钟完成攻顶任务。武来岸山虽然没有人造梯级，某些地方还得四肢并用。这次的爬山任务都很成功！大家互相帮忙等待对方，依我看，这次的爬山旅也可以成为友谊之旅咯!

以下是当天摄下的照片:-

武来岸山天还没亮

风景 - 早晨

Tracy 望着蓝蓝的天空，说：我要坚强！！！

太阳出来了，遍地野花香~~~

Kok Liang 和 Tracy在日出前合照

Hock-Hwee在日出前，说道：我要更迈进！

Broga Hill 人潮

Tracy 展演欢笑

绿油油的草地，让人们迫不及待得想踏上

Hock-Hwee在草地前摄下回忆

Yi-Xian享受蓝天白云

Kok-Liang期盼明天会更好

Kok-Liang 和 Tracy 耍酷的样子

Yi-Xian背影

人潮享受完了日出和风景，缓缓下山了

谢谢你们抽空到武来岸山一日游 （左起：Hock-Hwee, Lawrence, Tracy, Kok-Liang, Cinda, Yi-Xian 和 Meng-Hong）

The post 武来岸山（Broga Hill）@ Semenyih appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

The street of Chinatown of Bangkok

The last day in Bangkok before we departed to Krabi, Boon-Huat and Wei-Seong left us back to Malaysia in the morning and didn’t join us to Krabi. Wee-Peng, Meng-Hong and I would not want to waste our last morning in Bangkok, so we decided to get to the Chinatown of Bangkok, one of earliest Chinese community’s areas in Thailand.

Meng-Hong (left) and Wee-Peng at a Chinese lanterns stall in the Chinatown of Bangkok.

Originally a community of Chinese traders relocated and settled here in Chinatown from Rattanakosin (the old City) in the 1700’s, and continues their own traditions and religious practices. The area is quite unlike the rest of Bangkok, relatively untouched by modern development. To us, it seemed like a little Hong Kong with Chinese businesses and Chinese characters’ signboards everywhere and it was not difficult for us to shop for Chinese goods.

Jewelry and gold shops and pawnshops are very popular in today’s Chinatown and can be found almost anywhere. Besides, there are also morning markets with stalls selling garments, textiles, stationery, souvenirs, second-hand parts and equipment, electric goods, computer parts, antiques, imported musical instruments, and local delicacies at a bargain, often at wholesale prices. We had packed up our belongings and so we didn’t plan to buy anything, but to do a leisurely stroll through the morning market.

Another common sight in Chinatown is Chinese food stalls. These stalls set up by the roadside offer a wide variety of quick inexpensive meals or popular Chinese food from simple bowls of noodles and soup to grilled meat, fresh seafood, sweet cakes and the locals’ favourite roasted chestnuts. Though we had a very simple breakfast at one of these food stalls of bread with condensed milk and teh tarik (literally pulled tea), and they were really sweet. Thais are really strong-flavour lovers.

It was only a half day tour in Chinatown then we headed off to the airport and took a flight to our next destination, Krabi. The whole trip in Bangkok for 4 days was so fun and pleasurable to witness and experience the Thai’s culture and customs, Songkran water festival, the Red Shirts, shopping, nightlife and people-watching. May the people in Thailand find peace and be happy. 

Some of the photos I took in Chinatown of Bangkok:

This photo is the Pantip Plaza (IT Mall) of Bangkok, the premier IT shopping mall in Bangkok with retail categories ranging from gadgets, cameras, telecommunications and services.

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